


Freezer Burn

by Messier_47



Series: langst [5]
Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Depression, Hurt No Comfort, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Sad Lance (Voltron), langest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 02:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9797480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Messier_47/pseuds/Messier_47
Summary: Shiro was like the sun that set and never dawned again.And the ones left in the dark suffered for it.





	

It happens slowly. So slowly.

 

In fact it might not be happening at all.

 

But Keith noticed and too bad it’s too late to actually understand cause he was there. And he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to do.

 

It started when Shiro went missing. The Black Lion’s cockpit lied empty and everyone took it hard. And everyone mourned. No, not for the death of a fellow Paladin [he’s not dead. Not yet.] but for the empty hole Shiro left behind [left behind...as if he wanted to leave as if he did it on purpose as if he’s gone by choice not force as if he left them behind-].

 

Pidge took up screaming. They would hear their voice echoing up in the vents and after the first few times they scrambled to their room now they leave them be. When the stress starts killing them and the anxiety chokes their hearts they would just scream in agony, releasing their pent-up energy and it was there way of saying,  _ ‘FUCK YOU. FUCK THE UNIVERSE. FUCK THE GALRA. FUCK THIS SHIP. FUCK THAT PLANET. FUCK EVERYTHING BUT PLEASE BRING THEM BACK TO ME BRING EVERYONE BACK I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE ANY-’ _

 

It makes them feel better.

 

Hunk took up stress baking. And stress pacing. And stress cleaning. And staying up for days. And never walking past Shiro’s room. And twitching at every mention of him. It’s the insomnia that’s killing him. It’s the blood shot eyes  and the slurred words that forced Coran to give him a sleep drug. He sleeps fine now. If a little sporadic.

 

The black bruises under his eyes are permanent and he laughs when he says,  _ “In honor of Shiro, dude.” _

 

Allura tries her best. She really does. But sometimes Shiro’s name in Allura’s throat stops her from breathing and no one says anything for the scared animal look in her eyes. Or the breathing exercises.  _ “He’s alive,” _ she whispers and trembles at the seed of doubt such statements can plant.  _ “He’s alive.” _

 

Coran is the best at breaking the somber mood at times. He acts ridiculous or he does something completely strange around the earthlings and for a while it doesn’t seem like the darkness is closing in but then Coran would say something…

 

And Keith remembers that Coran is an adult. That Coran knows war. Keith remembers about PTSD and wonders if Coran sees death more often than he see’s hope. He wonders where Shiro lays on the mountain of bodies Coran must dream of.

 

Keith shows it the worse. He comes to dinner with blooded knuckles and popped blisters. The training room is always alight. He refused to scream. He refused to cry. He refused to lose hope. He refused to think of the costs of war.

 

But that doesn’t stop the bruises blooming across his skin, a mosaic of sickly greens and yellows with splashes of blues and black that are edged with purple and red. It’s vivid. It’s horrid. It makes everyone wince along with him and isn’t that such a tragedy? Not only is Shiro gone but their substitute leader can’t seem to catch a breath before wanting to bellow a torrent of flames like some evil dragon. The fury is near consuming him and the only thing that chills the flames is-

 

Lance.

 

Lance the Blue Paladin. Lance the confident little flirt with too much ego and too little patience. Lance of the Water Lion. Lance...the one who no one recognized anymore.

 

When Shiro disappeared it was like the sun had set and never dawned again. Pidge screamed as if they were dying. Hunk quietly groaned in pain as if his skin couldn’t fit right anymore. Keith raged like volcanoes and forest fires unrepentant. Allura was shaken to her very soul. And Coran waited for the tolling bells to sound off.

 

Lance was like ice. Since Shiro left the warmth usually found in Lance was cold. The cold in his veins moved at the pace of a glacier. His smiles turned frosty. His laughs crackled like shattered icicles. He was always fluid when he moved but now he stood rigid, tensed for a fight.

 

No one noticed when his heart turned to ice.

 

Keith noticed when the room temperature dropped when Lance entered the room. How the chill seemed to cling to those shoulders. He noticed when the windows began to fog over and the sheen of ice that fractured out. He noticed when Lance’s breath came out as steam -as fog -as snow. He walks on sheets of sleet that thaw at his passing. Crystals glitter like winter kisses on his cheekbones and flutter at the tips of his eyelashes. When his hair starts to change to white Keith turns to Allura.

 

_ “What’s wrong with him?” _ Allura smiles and Keith can see the lights fading a little dimmer, like stars shedding their skin.

 

_ “What’s wrong with us all?” _

 

Keith doesn’t know what to do. Pidge keeps screaming and he doesn’t know what to do. Hunk’s nights lie sleepless and he doesn’t know what to do. Hope keeps fleeing from Allura’s hands and the Dead haunt Coran in his eyes and Keith doesn’t know what to do.

 

Lance doesn’t talk anymore. He hears his bones creak like a icebergs crumbling into ocean waters. The last time Pidge touched Lance they screamed and pulled away with frostbite on their fingertips. He smiled one last time before the frost sealed his lips together.

 

Keith goes to his room and screams.

 

And cries.

 

And loses a little bit of hope.

 

And thinks of the war he’s losing-

 

He says into the empty air,  _ “Come back home. Please. Come back home.” _

 

And he let’s his fire…

  
...burn out.

**Author's Note:**

> the idea was lance's quintessence, bonded with Blue, starts to change. Hopefully this whole thing isn't as confusing as I think it is.


End file.
